Gmail users can get video and picture previews embedded in any message containing a link to a YouTube video, Flickr or Picasa Web Album pictures, or even Yelp reviews with the four latest Gmail Labs features.

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If, like us, you're used to receiving countless YouTube video and Flickr links from friends and family in the course of a week, this feature is a dream come true. With YouTube videos, you get a small thumbnail which, when clicked, expands to a full-on YouTube video.

Play-able video thumbs, picture previews, and a Yelp summary are posted at the bottom of any Gmail message containing direct links to those services—and that's about all these do, though it might be helpful to anyone who selectively watches or browses links at work, or otherwise knowing what you're in for. Google Operating System suggests that the bottom placement can be done better with an extension like Interclue, which we haven't tested out, but seems to allow selective mouse-over previews of certain media.